Method and system for audio sharing

ABSTRACT

A headphone system, comprises a headset including two ear cups configured to output audio and including a headband coupled between the two ear cups, the headset including an outer casing having an outer casing shape, the outer casing shape covering the two ear cups and the headband, the outer casing shape including an outer casing periphery; and a headphone cover including a headphone cover shape, the headphone cover shape including a headphone cover periphery, the headphone cover including a clipping mechanism configured to interface with the outer casing at the outer casing periphery to enable the headphone cover to be removably attached to the headset, the headphone cover shape being similar to the outer casing shape, the headphone cover periphery being similar to the outer casing periphery.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16,413,384 filed May 15, 2019 and entitled “Methodand System for Audio Sharing,” which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/757,655 filed Dec. 23, 2015 and entitled “Methodand System for Audio Sharing,” now U.S. Pat. No. 10,390,122, whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/096,209 filed Dec. 23, 2014 and entitled “Method and System for AudioSharing,” and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patentapplication Ser. No. 29/575,767, filed Aug. 29, 2016, which are herebyincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system including a headset which isused in connection with a multimedia device and in particular to asystem and method for music sharing and communication amongst wirelessheadphones and an improved wireless headphone providing control of theaural environment to provide super human hearing.

Description of the Related Art

Bluetooth enabled headphones are known for wireless communication to anaudio source. U.S. Pat. No. RE43,872 describes that headsets orheadphones are commonly used in connection with communication and/ormultimedia devices in order to listen to audio signals produced by ortransferred from these devices. Examples of such communication and/ormultimedia devices are radio receivers, portable music players like CDplayers and MP3 players as well as mobile phones. The most recentgeneration of these headsets is represented by so-called on-earBluetooth voice headsets which have become more and more popular in thepast. The reason is that these on-ear headsets provide a very convenientway in order to wear the headset for a hands-free communication. Thehead set can be used in connection with a communication and/ormultimedia device and which allows to listen to audio signals either ina mono mode, which is sufficient for telephone communication, or in astereo mode, which is desired for listening to music.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,340,058 describes a headphone having ability tocommunicate using Internet Protocol (IP) standard. In an embodiment, theheadphone is provided a wireless LAN (WLAN) network interface such thatVOIP calls are conducted using a wireless medium. Similarly, a Bluetoothprotocol type interface is also provided to communicate with a cellularphone and the communication forms the basis for the voice calls betweenthe headphone and other cellular phones connected via the cellularnetwork.

It is desirable to provide a method and system to use wirelessheadphones for audio sharing between headphones.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provide a method and system of audio sharing aimedto revolutionize the way people listen and share music and to givemultiple uses to a wireless headphone referred to as HEDphone. Acommunication protocol referred to as HEDtech protocol is used in a HEDsystem to allow users to share music amongst a plurality of HEDphoneswhile using a single audio source. A wireless connection is establishedbetween the HEDphone and a mobile device including an audio source whilesimultaneously having the capability of allowing other HEDphone users tojoin wirelessly and listen to the same audio source. The HED systemcreates what is referred to as HEDmesh using the HEDtech protocol.

In one embodiment, the HEDphone is a Hi-Fi stereo wireless headphonewith the added capability of creating a wireless mesh (HEDmesh) in orderto share audio with other HEDphone users within range. The HEDphone iswirelessly connected to a mobile device, such as a mobile phone ortablet via Bluetooth or cable, and is then able to broadcast the audiovia the HEDtech protocol to others users within range.

In one embodiment, the HEDphone provides a feature referred to as SuperHuman Hearing (SHH). Super Human Hearing (SHH) goes beyond conventionalANR (ambient noise reduction) with additional features that allow theuser to control their aural environment by being able to directionallyincrease or decrease selective frequencies.

In one embodiment, a detection device is used in combination with theHEDphone to detect whether the HEDphone is positioned on the head. Theaudio source to the HEDphone can be stopped when the HEDphone isdetected as having been removed from the head.

The invention will be more fully described by reference to the followingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for audio sharing inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a HEDphone.

FIGS. 3A-3C are schematic diagrams of a HEDphone concept.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a HEDmesh network of HEDphones.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a HEDmesh network of HEDphonesincluding a mobile device.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a HEDmesh network of HEDphonesincluding a plurality of mobile devices.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the system for audio sharing inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a packet used in the system.

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram of front view of a HEDphone used inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram of rear view of the HEDphone.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a printed circuit board that can beused for implementing the right side of the HEDphone.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a printed circuit board that can beused for implementing the right side of the HEDphone.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an active noise cancellingimplementation that can be used in the HEDphone.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a super human hearing (SHH)implementation with the HEDphone.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a HEDapp 19 to allowthe user to control super human hearing (SHH) with a graphic interface.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an implementation ofthe super human hearing (SHH).

FIGS. 16A-16B is a schematic diagrams of head presence sensor systemused with the HEDphone.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the system for audiosharing in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIGS. 18A-R are schematic diagrams of screen shots of a 3D graphicalinterface generated at the HEDapp.

FIG. 19A is a schematic diagram of used with a foam piece used in aheadband of the HEDphone.

FIG. 19B is a schematic diagram of a chassis used in the headband.

FIG. 19C is a schematic diagram of a foam carrier used in the headband.

FIG. 20A is a schematic diagram of a large size headband used in theHEDphone.

FIG. 20B is a schematic diagram of a medium size headband used in theHEDphone.

FIG. 20C is a schematic diagram of a small size headband used in theHEDphone.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a HEDphone including housing ofbatteries in the headband.

FIG. 22A is a schematic diagram of a portion of an outer casingincluding foam on an inner surface.

FIG. 22B is a schematic diagram of a portion of an outer casingincluding fur material on an inner surface.

FIG. 22C is a schematic diagram of an outer casing including furmaterial on an inner surface.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of the HEDphone with functionality for aleft hand user.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a cover for use with the HEDphone.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a head phone and cover in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 26 is a rear view thereof.

FIG. 27 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 28 is a left side view thereof.

FIG. 29 is a right side view thereof.

FIG. 30 is a bottom view thereof.

FIG. 31 is a top view thereof.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the cover for a head phone and covershown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 33 is a rear view of FIG. 32.

FIG. 34 is a front view of FIG. 32.

FIG. 35 is a left side view of FIG. 32.

FIG. 36 is a right side view of FIG. 32.

FIG. 37 is a bottom view of FIG. 32.

FIG. 38 is a top view of FIG. 32.

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the coverwith a different color.

FIG. 40 a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the cover witha different color.

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the coverwith a different color.

FIG. 42 a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the cover witha different color and surface pattern.

FIG. 43. is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the coverwith a different color and surface pattern.

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the coverwith a different color and surface pattern.

FIG. 45 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a flexiblecover.

FIG. 46 s a right side view of FIG. 45.

FIG. 47 is a left side view of FIG. 45.

FIG. 48 is a rear view of FIG. 45.

FIG. 49 is a front view of FIG. 45.

FIG. 50 is a bottom view of FIG. 45

FIG. 51 is a top view of FIG. 45.

FIG. 52 is a top and side view of FIG. 45.

FIG. 53 is a bottom and side view of FIG. 45.

FIG. 54 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theheadphone and cover with a different cover color.

FIG. 55 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theheadphone and cover with a different cover color.

FIG. 56 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theheadphone and cover with a different cover color.

FIG. 57 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theheadphone and cover with a different cover color.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodimentof the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be usedthroughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or likeparts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for audio sharing 10, referredto as HEDsystem. HEDmesh 14 using HEDtech protocol 15 is used in HEDsystem 10 to allow users to share music via HEDphones 12 a-12 n whileusing a single audio source. A wireless connection 16 is establishedbetween HEDphone 12 a and audio source 18. Audio source 18 can be amobile device running a HED application 19. Wireless connection 16 canbe for example a Bluetooth, SBC or AAC connection HEDmesh 14 usingHEDtech protocol 15 allows HEDphones 12 b-12 n to simultaneously joinwirelessly and listen to audio source 18. HEDtech protocol 15 can useWi-Fi transmission as a transport layer for HEDtech protocol 15 tocreate HEDmesh 14. HEDtech protocol 15 can support for example thefollowing Bluetooth profiles: Advanced Audio Distribution Profil (A2DP);Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP); Cordless Telephony Profile(CTP); File Transfer Profile (FTP)(to transfer music files); GenericAudio/Video Distribution Profile (GAVDP); Generic Access Profile (GAP);Hands-Free Profile (HSP); Intercom Profile (ICP); LAN Access Profile(LAP); Message Access Profile (MAP); Personal Area Networking Profile(PAN); Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP, PBA); Video Distribution Profile(VDP); and Wireless Application Protocol Bearer (WAPB).

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of HEDphone 12 HEDphone 12 is a headphonewith functionality. HEDphone 12 is controlled and configurable viaHEDapp 19 downloadable to audio source 18. HEDapp 19 is a user interfacethat will allow the control of settings such as, noise reduction,microphone On/Off, EQ levels and control access to HEDmesh 14. Processor20 communicates with serial peripheral interface (SPI) 22 to Bluetoothand Wi-Fi Module 23. Processor 20 communicates with 12C bus protocol 25to NFC 24 or 12S bus protocol 21 to CODEC 26 and Active Noise Cancelling(ANC) amplifier 27. Microphones 29 a and 29 b and speakers 28 a and 28 bare coupled to Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) amplifier 27. Microphones29 a and 29 b can be used to support conventional phone functionalitiesas well as communicate with members of HEDmesh 14 (shown in FIG. 1)using VoIP or other methods.

An example HEDphone 12 is shown in FIGS. 3A-3C. HEDphone 12 can have apower On/Off switch 31. For example power On/Off switch 31 canincorporate a dual color LED 34, Blue and Green. An example scheme forcolor LED 34 is described below. When turned On, LED 34 will be fixedblue. When charging, LED will flash Green until turning fix green whenfully charged. If HEDphone 12 is operating in a group (HEDmesh) the LEDwill turn to green. If HEDphone 12 comes out of the group it will goback to Blue. HEDphone 12 is turned On and Off by pressing On/Off switch31 for more than a second, whilst the HEDphone 12 is turned On, it willalways be in “paring mode” or discoverable by any portable device.HEDphone 12 can be operated as follows:

Turn Bluetooth to the ON position on mobile device 18:

1. Search for Bluetooth devices.

2. Select HEDphone 12 from the result list.

3. optionally Enter pin code 0000.

Bluetooth pairing and HEDphone 12 functionality must be possible even ifthe user has not downloaded the HEDapp mobile application. If theapplication is not downloaded the HEDphone 12 will default to thefactory settings. These settings can only be changed by downloading theHEDapp.

Referring to FIG. 1, once HEDphone 12 a is paired to mobile device 18,it will automatically enable the WiFi function to allow other HEDphones12 b-12 n to connect to it via Wifi Direct, or via the NFC (Near FieldCommunication) function. This functionality is also be possible ifHEDphone 12 a is connected via an audio cable to mobile device 18 ratherthan with a Bluetooth link. In this mode, (with cable) HEDphone 12 a canturn off the Bluetooth link automatically in order to save battery. Thisfunction may be overwritten via the HEDapp. This will allow theconnection of the HEDphone 12 to a laptop using the audio cable whilestill being connected to mobile phone 18 via Bluetooth.

Once the HEDapp is downloaded, the user will enter his/her HEDphone'sname which will then be displayed on the app and on HEDmesh 14 when inuse.

HEDmesh 14 can be created to stream music, to talk to other HEDmeshmembers or for both. When HEDmesh 14 is created or a new HEDphone 12a-12 n joins the group, an audible tone can be played on HEDphones 12a-12 n and the HEDapp user's list will be updated with the newuser/player's name.

HEDmesh 14 can be created by any HEDphone 12 a-12 n user who will becomethe administrator or master and will control the audio played to HEDmesh14. Other HEDphone 12 a-12 n users can join the group via NFC with anyHEDphone 12 a-12 n already in HEDmesh 14 and not have to find who themaster is. Every time a new player joins the group, the master and allother users/players will receive an audio tone and everyone on HEDmesh14 can see an updated list.

HEDphone 12 a-12 n users can create a private HEDmesh 14 where only“approved” members may join. Private HEDmesh 14 groups can be saved forlater use and all subscribed members can connect automatically when theyare next in proximity. At the same time the administrator of the privateGroup can block and expulse a HEDphone user at any time, whether inrange or not (from the HEDapp group). It should also be possible for auser to join a HEDmesh but to listen to its own music and only use theHEDmesh to communicate to others. This can only be achieved using theHEDapp, but it can be set to “talk lock” in the HEDapp. If talk lock isON on the HEDapp the user can simply tap the HEDtak button to lock thechannels. Rules may be then introduced to limit the number ofsimultaneous conversations.

Several HEDmesh 14 groups may coexist in the same area.

While users are on a HEDmesh 14, they can talk to each other by pressingthe HED capacitance pad 32 on the HEDphone touch pad shown in FIG. 3A.For example, this function can be operated by tapping once to talk onthe HEDmesh group, tapping over 2 seconds with 2 fingers to exit theHEDmesh group. HED capacitance pad 33 can be operated, for example, bytapping once to play music and tapping again to pause music. If call inplace, for example, tap once to take call and tap over 2 seconds to hangup. HED capacitance pad 32 controls the sharing and HEDmesh functions.HED capacitance pad 33 controls all phone and music functions. HEDcapacitance pad 32 can operate functions 36 of activate SHH, deactivateSHH, activate SHH rear microphone and activate SHH front microphone. HEDcapacitance pad 33 can operate functions 37 of volume up, volume down,previous song and next song.

Any user on HEDmesh 14 should be able to take the call, text and carryout other function on portable device 18 without affecting the HEDmeshcommunication.

If a user receives a phone call while on HEDmesh 18, the user can takethe call without affecting the rest of the users in the group. As soonas a phone call is finished and the user hangs up it should be able tohear the audio streaming from HEDmesh 18. HED capacitance pad 33positioned above speaker 34 can be used for controlling the audio sourceand the phone functions of HEDphone 12. For example, HED capacitance pad33 can control volume up, volume down, next song, previous song, pausemusic, play again, take calls and hang up calls.

HEDphone 12 can include a battery. The battery preferably provides 15hours of Bluetooth use for music and at least 10 hours for HEDmeshoperation. The battery may be charged while in HEDphones 12 by using themicro USB cable or by using an external cradle. Alternatively, thebattery may be charged by induction with a special cradle or hanger. Alarger battery can also be fitted in a cavity of HEDphone 12.

HEDphone 12 can be fitted with a mini jack socket to allow the user tobypass the Bluetooth link. This will allow the user to save battery,obtain better audio and avoid latency. On the HEDapp the user will beable to select if the Bluetooth link is to stay live while using thecable but the system will default it to Off. HEDphone 12 can provide aHIFI quality audio when operating with cable even when the battery isflat. In this mode, (with cable) HEDphone 12 can turn off the Bluetoothlink automatically in order to save battery. This function may beoverwritten via the HEDapp. This will allow the connection of theHEDphone to a laptop using the audio cable while still being connectedto a mobile phone via Bluetooth. This socket can support an auxmicrophone input in case an extra microphone boom is sold as anaccessory for the HEDmesh 18. All other settings and functions for theHEDphone will be adjusted and controlled via the HEDapp.

In one embodiment HEDphone 12 provides a feature referred to as SuperHuman Hearing (SHH). SHH goes beyond conventional ANR (ambient noisereduction) with additional features that allow the user to control theiraural environment by being able to directionally increase or decreaseselective frequencies. This will allow the user to attenuate specificsounds around them. Conversely, the user will also be able to single outand amplify other sounds around them. For example, while exercising(running, skiing, cycling, etc.), users may be able to emphasize thesound levels behind them to help them hear if someone or something isapproaching too close behind them; all of this while still enjoyingtheir music.

In this embodiment, HEDphone 12 can be fitted with a plurality ofunidirectional microphones 40 a-40 f or an array of omni directionalmicrophones in addition to the ones used for ANR as shown in FIG. 3B.The microphones will be located in various places on the device pointedin various directions in order to achieve a 360° audio image of theenvironment around the user. By a method of mixing the audio from thevarious inputs, the user will experience a new way to control the waythey hear the world around them as shown in FIG. 3C. The user will beable to intuitively control SHH visually with the aid of a controllerapp for their mobile phone or device. SHH functionality can include thefollowing features:

1. The ANR function will work as they exist on standard headphones. Theuser can either activate or deactivate ANR independently of SHH.

2. The additional microphones dedicated for the SHH function will pickup directional ambient sounds separately from the ANR microphones.

3. The user will be able to control the SHH function with the aid of a3D visual app for their mobile telephone or device.

4. Reinserted into the signal path of the user's audio stream.

5. SHH function will allow the user to allow ambient noise atuser-defined frequencies to filter into the HEDphone via the fittedmicrophones. For example, this new feature could allow the user to hearother people talking to them without having to remove the HEDphones orhaving to pause or mute the music. Users that wear headphones whilewalking, cycling or doing any other type of activity that requires somelevel of awareness of their immediate surrounding will greatly benefitfrom this new feature as well as increasing safety. The user will thenbe less likely to remove their headphones.

6. The user will be able to control the direction and frequency of thesounds they want to enhance.

7. A combination of both SHH and conventional noise reduction will allowthe user to pass through the ambient noise but to also cancel out anynoise from the “wanted” audio signal such as human voice. The idea isthat if someone is talking to the headphone user in a noisy environment,the background noise can be cancelled out from the human voice, makingthe headphone a tool to communicate in noisy environments, where itwould be clearer to communicate with the headphones than without them.

8. Amplification of the “good” inbound audio (human voice) to aid humanhearing for people with difficulties, to be able to communicate in noisyenvironments or simply, to allow you to communicate without removing theheadphones and hear better than without them. This may have a differentlevel adjustment to the music level and it may require a separate modeactivated in the HEDapp which we will also give control between the rearand forward mic in the headband. The HEDapp will provide a visualrepresentation of the audio world around them.

The SHH functionality can be based on four adjustments.

a. Noise reduction level (gradual adjustment of the noise reductionlevel). This adjustment will be independent of the inbound audio level.

b. Forward mic and rear mic levels (for good audio)

c. Music volume. Adjusts the music level.

d. Inbound audio level for the talk mic (the one used to talk to theHEDmesh and telephone) must be muted.

The SHH must be achieved by dynamically adjusting the levels above.These adjustments maybe carried out by sliding the finger over theHEDpad up and down for volume and right and left for rear mic and frontmic gain. To make it easier to the user there should be somepre-determined modes to be set via the HEDapp.

Some of the modes could be:

SHH On/Off

Bicycle

Factory

City walk

Windy

Home

HEDphone 12 can support the following functionalities without HEDapp.

Pairing to a portable device, play music and music controls, supportphone functionality, create a HEDmesh network, stream audio to theHEDmesh network, able to talk to HEDmesh participants within the networkand activate and control the Super Human Hearing function.

To connect HEDphones 12, a NFC device can be activated in one HEDphones12. This can be achieved by shaking one HEDphones 12 and getting themtogether facing the NFC side (HEDshake). Alternatively, a HEDmesh buttoncan be activated with a HED button. This will create a sharing networkbetween 2 or more HEDphones 12. This network will be createdautomatically by randomly allocating one of HEDphones 12 as a hotspot.The NFC time required is about 2 seconds. The new network is referred toas HEDmesh 50, as shown in FIG. 4.

Basic HEDmesh network.

At this stage, both HEDphones 12 can talk to each other by pressing HEDbutton 52 “

” or by activating the required action on capacitance pad.

In a first scenario shown in FIG. 5, when HEDphones 12 a is paired tomobile device 18 via Bluetooth they will be able to:

HEDphone 12 a (connected to a mobile device) can play music, share musicand talk to other HEDphone 12 b in the network (HEDmesh).

HEDphone 12 b can only talk. As soon as user A starts playing music, itis automatically sent to HEDphone 12 b.

Music and voice can play simultaneously. When there is voice present onthe HEDmesh network, volume of the music can be lowered.

In a second scenario shown in FIG. 6, when two or more HEDphones 12 aand 12 b are paired to mobile devices 18 via Bluetooth.

In this case, all HEDphones 12 a and 12 b can play music, share musicand talk to other HEDphones 12 in the network (HEDmesh).

The HEDmesh network can have a predetermined number of players, forexample a maximum of 15, and a maximum number of simultaneous voicecalls, for example a maximum of 6. Every user will be able to play musicto the HEDmesh network. Pressing play in their mobile devices, willoverride the current music player (Host) becoming the new HEDmeshHost.

A headphone user can leave the HEDmesh network when:

1. He/she goes out of range

2. Turn the HEDphone OFF

3. Battery goes flat

4. Pressing HED button

LEDs will indicate the users when he is on a HEDmesh or not there shouldalso be an audible tone for entering and exiting a HEDmesh session.

When HEDphone 12 leaves the HEDmesh session, all data will be erasedfrom all users in the HEDmesh.

To re-join the HEDmesh, it will have to go to one of HEDphones 12already in the HEDplay session and use the NFC logging method.

When leaving the HEDmesh network there could be two scenarios:

1. The user leaving is the network Host:

In this case, the entire HEDmesh will stop hearing the music untilanother remaining user presses play in one of their mobile devices. Thenetwork is not dissolved, so another user within the HEDmesh networkbecomes the hotspot. If the hotspot left and there was already someoneplaying music, this user will become the hotspot automatically so themusic is only interrupted momentary.

2. The user leaving is not the network Hotspot:

In this case, the rest of the HEDmesh network carry on operatingnormally, unless the user leaving was the one playing music which willobviously stop the music on the HEDmesh until another player pressesplay.

If a HEDplayer (HEDphone 12 user within a HEDmesh network) receives acall, there are two possible scenarios:

1. The HEDplayer is playing music:

In this case, the music stops on the HEDmesh and any other user, alreadyin the same network, can take over by pressing play in their mobiledevice. Music is then sent to all players except the one on the phonecall. As soon as the phone call finishes, the player will automaticallyhear the music being played again.

2. The HEDplayer is not playing music:

In this case, it will simply take the call and stop hearing the musicbeing played in the HEDmesh network. Again, as the call finishes, itwill automatically go back to listen what is being played on the HEDmeshnetwork.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of HEDtech protocol 15.In this embodiment, HEDphone 12 a is considered the master or Host asthe headphone playing music and HEDphones 12 b-12 n are considered asusers or Guests as the headphones listening to the music being played.HEDmesh 14 uses HEDtech protocol 15 to provide audio streaming fromHEDphone 12 a to one or more destinations HEDphones 12 b-12 n. All ofHEDphones 12 a-12 n participating in HEDmesh 14 are able to send andreceive low bitrate data over wireless connection 16. For example, datacan be used to distribute information and events and talk to each otherover a voice channel of HEDphones 12 a-12 n as described below.

In one embodiment, HEDtech protocol 15 is based on a multicast/unicastdatagram data transfer. HEDmesh 14 is created by HEDphone 12 a with oneor more HEDphones 12 b-12 n connect to HEDmesh 14, such as by means of aService Set Identifier (SSID) and Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2)password provided over Near Field communications (NFC) on a pairingevent.

In an embodiment of HDtech proctocol 15, time division can be used inwhich time is divided in default periods of 42.666 ms. On each timeperiod, HEDphone 12 a as the Host will send up to 8 packets 100 to theHEDphones 12 a-12 n as Guests. Each packet 100 takes about 2 ms to betransmitted. Accordingly, in this embodiment a total of about 16 ms areused to send packets 100 between HEDphone 12 a as the Host and HEDphones12 b-12 n as Guests. The remaining time of the 42.666 ms period is usedby each of HEDphones 12 b-12 n, in turn, to send acknowledgment and newdata, if any, to HEDphone 12 a as the Host. There is always a minimum of1 packet 100 sent by HEDphone 12 a as the Host every period. If there isno data to send, a special beacon packet is sent. HEDphones 12 b-12 ncan send packets to HEDphone 12 a as packets 102. Packet 100 can be adatagram multicast packets and packet 102 can be a datagram unicastpacket as shown in FIG. 8.

On each packet 100 sent by HEDphone 12 a as Host there is a list of timeinstants 112 allocated to each Guests for their reply. This minimizespacket collision over the air and allows dynamic management of the timeallocated for the reply of each Guest on each transmission period. EachGuest may reply with none or up to 4 packets 102 on each period.

The duration of the time period is defined by the time between packetswith burst index 0 sent by the Host. This means that the default 42.666ms time period can be changed by the Host, if needed.

In order for the time division to be accurate, synchronisation betweenthe Host and all Guests is required. Wi-Fi network 16 providessynchronisation between the members of a network using an internal timeridentical on all members referred to as Time Synchronisation Function(TSF) timer. This timer is incremented every microsecond and the maximumdeviation between members of the network is 25 μs. HEDtech protocol 15determines a time difference between the Time Synchronisation Function(TSF) and the local time which is broadcasted by the HEDphone 12 a asHost to all HED phones 12 b-12 n as Guests, which also get their owndifference between Time Synchronisation Function (TSF) timer and a localtimer. Based on these two differences, each Guest can then calculate, atany time, what is the corresponding local time in the Host. Audio issynchronized by means of a 32-bit time stamp. At HEDphone 12 a as theHost, this time stamp corresponds to the 32 least significant bits ofthe local time in units of 0.1 ms. At the Guest, the calculation is madeon the adjusted local time, so that the generated time stamp matches theHost's time stamp.

Tables 1A-1B define the contents of packets 100 exchanged between Hostand Guest. All multi-byte values are represented in little-endian formatwith a Less Significant Byte first.

Each byte is divided in 8 bits numbered from 0 to 7, with 0 being theLess Significant Byte (LSB) bit.

The contents of packet 100 from Host to Guest are shown in Table 1A asthe following:

TABLE 1A Offset in bytes Size in bytes Name Description 0 4 audio_tsAudio Time Stamp. For audio streaming, indicates the time stamp at whichthe contents of this packet should be played. In the special case of abeacon packet, this item holds the 32 LSB bits of “ref_tst_diff”. 4 1 nrPacket number 5 1 codec_type Codec type for the included audio streamingdata. The following types are defined: HED_AUD_CODEC_NONE (0) (nostreaming audio available), HED_AUD_CODEC_SBC (1) HED_AUD_CODEC_AAC (2)6 2 frame_size Frame size of the streaming audio data. This is thenumber of bytes on each audio block to be decoded 8 1 sample_rate Samplerate of the streaming audio data. The following rates are defined:HED_AUD_RATE_NONE (0) HED_AUD_RATE_16000 (1) HED_AUD_RATE_32000 (2)HED_AUD_RATE_44100 (3) HED_AUD_RATE_48000 (4) 9 4 LSB bits burst_sizeBurst size. Number of packets in this transmission period (1 to 8). 9 4MSB bits burst_idx Burst index. Order number of the packet in thistransmission period. Must start with 0 for the first packet and increaseby one for each consecutive packet up to “burst_size” − 1. 10 1 buf_ctrlBuffer control. Bit mask indicating which buffers in the packet areactive. Can be an OR of the following bits: BUF_VOICE(bit 0) - Voicebuffer BUF_DATA (bit 1) - User data buffer BUF_STREAM (bit 2) - Audiostreaming buffer BUF_CTRL (bit 3) - Control information on the user databuffer (cannot be used together with BUF_DATA) BUF_STREAM_FRAG (bit 6) -Audio streaming buffer holding a partial audio block BUF_BEACON (allbits set) - Special value to identify beacon packets 11 1 reservedReserved for future use 12 4 ref_tsf_diff Difference between TSF timerand local time on Host. This is a 64 bit value that is multiplexed onconsecutive packets. On each transmission period, the first transmitedpacket (“burst_idx” = 0) holds the 32 MSB bits. The remaining packet(s)(“burst_idx” > 0) hold the 32 LSB bits. 16 10 reply_win Reply windowstart for each Guest in 0.1 ms units, 0xFF for no reply allowed on thisframe 26 10 ack_mask Acknowledge masks sent back to Guests. Each bitcorresponds to one packet received in the previous period. 36 952 streamAudio stream buffer 988 32 data User data buffer 1020 172 voice Voicebuffer

The size of each transmitted packet is fixed, independent of itscontents. The only exception is the beacon packet that does not includethe “stream”, “data” and “voice” fields.

The contents of each packet 102 from Guest to Host are shown in Table 1Bas the following:

TABLE 1B Offset in bytes Size in bytes Name Description 0 4 audio_tsAudio Time Stamp. For audio streaming, indicates the time stamp at whichthe contents of this packet should be played. In the special case of abeacon packet, this item holds the 32 LSB bits of “ref_tst_diff”. 4 1 nrPacket number 5 1 codec_type Codec type for the included audio streamingdata. The following types are defined: HED_AUD_CODEC_NONE (0) (nostreaming audio available), HED_AUD_CODEC_SBC (1) HED_AUD_CODEC_AAC (2)6 2 frame_size Frame size of the streaming audio data. This is thenumber of bytes on each audio block to be decoded 8 1 sample_rate Samplerate of the streaming audio data. The following rates are defined:HED_AUD_RATE_NONE (0) HED_AUD_RATE_16000 (1) HED_AUD_RATE_32000 (2)HED_AUD_RATE_44100 (3) HED_AUD_RATE_48000 (4) 9 4 LSB bits burst_sizeBurst size. Number of packets in this transmission period (1 to 4). 9 4MSB bits burst_idx Burst index. Order number of the packet in thistransmission period. Must start with 0 for the first packet and increaseby one for each consecutive packet up to “burst_size” − 1. 10 1 buf_ctrlBuffer control. Bit mask indicating the type of data included in thepacket. Can be an OR of the following bits: BUF_VOICE (bit 0) - Voicebuffer (2 voice buffers are included when BUF_STREAM is 0) BUF_DATA(bit 1) - User data buffer BUF_STREAM (bit 2) - Audio streaming bufferBUF_CTRL (bit 3) - Control information buffer (cannot be used togetherwith BUF_DATA) BUF_DATA2 (bit 5) - Second user data buffer (cannot beused together with BUF_STREAM, BUF_STREAM_FRAG or BUF_CTRL)BUF_STREAM_FRAG (bit 6) - Audio streaming buffer holding a partial audioblock 11 1 reserved Reserved for future use. 12 1 dev_nr Guest devicenumber (1 to 10). Assigned when joining the MESH. 13 1 ack_base Numberof the oldest acknowledged packet 14 4 ack_mask Bit mask with each bitrepresenting an acknowledged packet. Bit 0 corresponds to the “ack_base”packet number. 18 1156 data Buffer including streaming audio (952 bytes)and/or user/control data (32 bytes) and/or voice data (172 bytes). Thisbuffer must be filled in the following order, depending on the activebits of “buf_ctrl”: stream data, voice data, second voice data,user/control data, second user data. The second voice data and seconduser data cannot be present when stream data is present.

The size of each transmitted packet is variable, depending on the databeing transmitted as defined by the “buf_ctrl” field.

The HEDtech protocol 15 provides a reliable transport layer forstreaming audio and user data using an acknowledgement protocol. Allpackets sent in one direction must be acknowledged in the reversedirection. Considering the different nature of multicast and unicast, adifferent acknowledge protocol is used, depending on the direction ofthe transfer.

On each time period, up to 8 packets 100 can be sent from the Host tothe Guest. Of these, only 2 of packets 100 can be new packets as neversent on previous time periods. The remaining packets 100 areretransmissions of unacknowledged packets. The Host must maintain, foreach transmitted packet 100, a list of successful acknowledgementsreceived from each active Guest. Each packet 100 is transmittedcontinuously on consecutive time periods until all active Guestsacknowledge the packet.

A Guest is considered active whenever the Host receives data from it.When no data is received from a Guest for a defined amount ofconsecutive time periods, the Guest is then considered inactive.

Each packet 100 sent includes a packet number ranging from 0 to 255.Each new packet is assigned a consecutive number, wrapping to 0 afterreaching 255. Each Guest must maintain a list of received packets 100,to be sent to the Host as an acknowledgement, on each time period. Thelist is composed of a packet number (“ack_base”) and a 32-bit mask(“ack_mask”). The “ack_base” packet number corresponds to bit 0 of themask, while the following bits 1 to N are related to “ack_base”+N packetnumbers. This means that, as an example, if “ack_base”=253 (decimal) and“ack_mask”=77 (decimal, corresponding to a binary representation with 24bits at 0 followed by 1001101), then the following data packets 100 areacknowledged, reading bits from right to left: 253, 255, 0 and 3. Thepacket number following 255 is 0. Packets with numbers below “ack_base”are implicitly acknowledged too.

Based in the acknowledge information sent by the Guests, the Hostdetermines which of packets 100 transmitted on the last time period werecorrectly received by all active Guests. Packets 100 that were notreceived correctly by all active Guests are re-transmitted.

On each time period, up to 4 packets 102 can be sent from the Guest tothe Host. Of these, only 2 packets 102 can be new packets as never senton previous time periods. The remaining packets 102 are retransmissionsof unacknowledged packets.

The Host must send acknowledge information to each Guest, on each timeperiod, considering the correctly received packets 102 in the previoustime period. The acknowledge information is sent on all packets 100transmitted by the Host and comprises 1 byte for each Guest sent in“ack_mask” array. Each bit corresponds to the “burst_idx” of asuccessfully received data packet 102 in the previous time period.

As an example, a particular Guest sends 3 packets 102 to the Host. Eachpacket 102 is numbered with a consecutive “burst_idx” number from 0 to2. If the Host only receives the last two packets 102, it will sendvalue 6 (binary 110) in the “ack_mask” entry corresponding to thatparticular Guest. This will indicate to the Guest that it mustretransmit the last two packets 102.

HEDtech protocol 15 allows for simultaneous transfer of streaming audioand user/control data. Packet numbers are used to guarantee that thecorrect order of packets is preserved. Depending on errors andre-transmissions, successful reception of packets may occur in adifferent order than the initial transmission. Both Host and Guest mustinclude mechanisms to re-order the received packets, if necessary,before delivering them to the corresponding recipients.

When sending streaming audio, some additional data is included on eachpacket 100 to allow the Guest to decode and play the audio stream at anypoint in time. The audio streaming related data can comprise thefollowing components: 32-bit time stamp “audio_ts” to allow the Guest tostart playing audio synchronously with all other devices in HDMesh 14;Codec type “codec type” indicates the codec required to decode thestreaming data, example supported codec are SBC and AAC; Frame size“frame_size” indicates the size in bytes of each audio block to decode;and sample rate “sample_rate” indicates the sample rate to play thedecoded audio. If the frame size is bigger than the maximum spaceavailable for the stream buffer, then the “BUF_STREAM_FRAG” bit of“buf_ctrl” is set in data packets 100 that hold the first fragment of aframe.

User data can be sent from each device to another or to all devices. TheHost is responsible for routing user data blocks 105 to theirdestination. All data is divided in data blocks 105 of 32 bytes. TheHost can send a maximum of one data block 105 on each packet 100, whilethe Guests can send up to two data blocks 105 on each packet 102 whennot sending audio streaming simultaneously. Alternatively, audiostreaming is sent simultaneously one data block 105 can be sent per datapacket 102. The packet numbers are used to keep the correct order ofdata blocks 105, allowing for a correct re-assembly at the destinationdevice.

HEDmesh 14 requires some occasional information to be exchanged betweenthe Host and the Guests. A mechanism is provided to re-use data blocks105 on the transmitted packets for this purpose. This is achieved byhaving a separate identification of control data block in the “buf_ctrl”field of each packet. Control data always has higher priority than userdata. This means that if a user data transfer is in progress, it will beinterrupted to send control data.

The following control message primitives can be used which are sent as afirst byte of the control message:

-   -   CTRL_DEV_NR_REQ (0): Request a new device number. Sent by Guests        when registering to the Mesh. Includes the MAC address of the        new Guest as a parameter in bytes 1 to 6 of the control message.    -   CTRL_DEV_NR_CFM (1): Confirm the new device number request is        accepted. The new assigned device number is sent on byte 1 of        the control message.    -   CTRL_DEV_NR_REJ (2): Reject a new device number request.    -   CTRL_SWITCH_REQ (3): Request a switch between Host and Guest.        Sent by the Host with the target Guest device number as a        parameter in byte 1 of the control message. The current list of        Guests is sent in the beginning of the stream buffer. This        message can only be sent after audio streaming is stopped.    -   CTRL_SWITCH_CFM (4): Confirm request to switch between Host and        Guest. Sent by Guest when it is ready to switch to Host. When        the current Host receives this message, stops transmissions and        switches to Guest with the same device number as the Guest with        which it switched.

Voice data can be sent from each HEDphones 12 a-12 n to all otherHEDphones 12 a-12 n. Voice data is sent as voice data block 107. TheHost is responsible for broadcasting all received voice data blocks 107to all Guests. Voice streaming data is divided in blocks of 172 bytes.The Host can send a maximum of one voice data block 107 on each packet100, while the Guests can send up to two voice data blocks 107 on eachpacket 102. Alternatively, audio streaming is sent simultaneously onevoice data block 107 can be sent per data packet 102. The packet numbersare used to keep the correct order of data blocks 107, allowing for acorrect re-assembly at the destination device. Sending up to two 172bytes blocks, on each default time period of 42.666 ms, allows for a bitrate of around 64 kbit/s. Any codec supporting that bit rate can be usedto encode/decode the voice stream data. Suitable codecs are G.722 andAAC.

FIGS. 9A-9B show an embodiment of HEDphone 402 which can be used insteadof HEDphone 12. HEDphone 402 is a Hi-Fi stereo wireless headphone whichcan be us used with HEDmesh 14 and HEDtech protocol 15 as describedabove. In this embodiment HEDphone 402 includes a rectangular array ofomnidirectional microphones 200 of microphones 40 a. For example,microphones 40 can be micro-electro-mechanical microphones (MEMS). Thisconfiguration allows the implementation integration of Super HumanHearing (SHH) feature described above. This allows the user to enhanceor attenuate the outside audio in a selected direction.

FIG. 10 is an example implementation of printed circuit board 300 thatcan be used for implementing the right side of HEDphone 402. Battery 301is controlled by power manager 302, battery management unit 303, batteryprotection 304 and FCI 305 for powering processor 306 and diodes 307.Embedded multi-media card 308 and storage 309 are coupled to processor306. Wi-Fi and blue tooth module 310 and inter integrated bus 311 arecoupled to processor 306. Processor 306 controls serial peripheralinterface 312. Left touch sensor 314 provides input to processor 306.Level translator 315 interfaces with digital analog converter 316 forcontrolling active noise control 318 of microphone 40 a and 40 b asshown in FIG. 12. Four channel analog to digital converter 320 receivesinput from microphone 40 b, 40 c, 40 d and 40 e. Referring to FIG. 10,Codec 322 encode/decode the voice stream data from audio jack 323. Audiooutput from active noise control 318 is received at speaker 325. LED 328is controlled by processor 306.

FIG. 11 is an example implementation of printed circuit board 500 thatcan be used for implementing the left side of HEDphone 402. Active noisecontrol 518 controls microphones 200 for active noise cancelling asshown in FIG. 12. Referring to FIG. 11, audio output from active noisecontrol 518 is received at speaker 525. Serial peripheral interface 312interfaces to near field communication 527. Head detection sensor 528detects the presence of a user's head.

HEDphone 402 can include the functionality shown and the hardwarerequirements as shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Functionality Description Hi-Fi audio The Headphones are fittedwith superb high quality angled drivers together with an optimisedacoustic design. Extra care has also been taken on the codecs, DSP andcompression processes, which have also been optimised. Bluetooth and Wi-The Headphones connect via Bluetooth with mobile devices and via Wi-FiFi connectivity with other HED Headphones and Wi-Fi networks. HEDcomprotocol The proprietary HEDcom protocol is for data, audio streamingand communication between compatible HED Headphones. HED Mesh Allows upto 11 Headphone users to create a local wireless network to share music,voice and data. Super-human Four omnidirectional MEMS microphones arefitted in the ear pads for Shh, hearing enabling the implementation ofvirtual directional microphones (beams) by (Shh) spatial filtering. Usercan select a direction via the HEDapp, thus allowing the user to hearsound coming from one specific direction. Presence Sensor The music ispaused automatically when the user removes the headphones. Active NoiseANC improves the sound quality of music and phone conversation byControl (ANC) reducing background noise using inverted phase audio.Audio Equalizer User adjustable 8 band equalizer via the HEDapp Echocontrol Acoustic echo occurs whenever the ear pad microphones capturesound coming from the drivers. The sound from the drivers is delayedlong enough (~20 ms) to avoid feedback. Standard telephony The Headphoneis able to answer a call, hear messages and alerts over the music or theMesh. Also supports voice dialling/voice commands (Siri) Support forVoIP The HEDcom protocol allows for VoIP communication in the Mesh.Minimised latency Latency is minimal in the Headphone for music sharingand voice communication so users hear the audio at the same time.Interference The Mesh co-exists securely with other Wi-Fi networkswithout receiving or incurring interference with other Wi-Finetworks/devices. Range Maximum range of 30 m. Home Wi-Fi The Headphonecan connect directly to a Wi-Fi network. User can listen to compatiblemusic via a home music server or other online services. Mobile App UserInterface to control Headphone functions via Bluetooth from an iOS and(HEDapp) Android app. Functionality described in the HEDapp section.Software Headphone firmware is upgradable via Bluetooth using theHEDapp. upgradeable LEDs RGB LED to signal power, charging, connectivitywith Bluetooth and Mesh connection. Audio sensor for A sensor detectsthe absence of an audio signal and puts the Headphone into sleep modesleep mode automatically. The time to enter sleep mode can be adjustedvia the HEDapp. Capacitance touch Two capacitance touch pads exist tocontrol playback, volume, telephony pad for controls functions, Shh,Mesh, mute and Internal Talk. Touch pad functions are swappable fromleft pad to right pad. Battery The Headphone is equipped with 3batteries totalling 2040 mAh. Auto power off Enable/disable and setpower off time via the HEDapp. On/Off Switch On/Off Switch

An example implementation of system 10 in operation of LED 328 is shownin Table 3.

TABLE 3 Color LED State State Green Solid ON/Not connected OrangeBlinking ON/Battery Low (20%) Red Blinking Charging Red Solid FullyCharged Blue Blinking ON/BT pairing mode Blue Solid ON/BT connectedPurple Blinking ON/MESH connecting Purple Solid ON/MESH connected

HEDphone 402 can be connected to any Bluetooth device using the standardpairing method. HEDphone 402 is turned on and off by pressing the powerswitch for more than a second. When the HEDphone 402 is turned on itwill be in pairing mode, unless the HEDphone 402 has already beenpaired. While in pairing mode the LED 328 is blinking blue as describedabove. It will be appreciated that alternative color schemes for LED 328can be used in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

Turn ON Bluetooth on the mobile device:

1. Search for Bluetooth devices.

2. Select the HEDphone from the result list.

3. Enter pin code 0000. Depending on the Bluetooth version this step maynot be required.

In one embodiment, super human hearing (SHH) can be implemented withHEDphone 402 as shown in FIG. 13. Super human hearing provides controlambient sounds at HEDphone 402. HEDphone 402 is fitted with arectangular or trapezoidal array of four omnidirectional microphones 440in addition to the ones used for ANC. The configuration allows the useof different virtual directive/cardioid microphones, by pairs in a lineor even combining elements on the diagonal. Microphones 440 are locatedin lower portion 450 of ear pads 452, mounted in a specific position inorder to achieve a 360° audio image of the environment around the user.Ear pads 452 can be one axis touch pads. Ear pad 452 l can activatesuper human hearing (SHH) and to talk on HEDmesh 14. Ear pad 452 r canbe used for volume adjustment, for activating playing and pausing oraudio and to take a call over HEDmesh 14. Audio received by the severalinputs of microphones 440 can be processed by HEDphone 402 to give theuser a new way to experience and to control the sound around them.

The HEDphone 402 is fitted with mini jack plug 460 to allow the user tobypass the Bluetooth link and listen to an analogue audio source, suchas a music server or service. This allows the user to use sources thatdon't have Bluetooth. It also saves battery life.

HEDphone 402 still provides a Hi-Fi quality audio when operating withcable even when the battery is flat. While operating with a cable,HEDphone 402 turns off the Bluetooth link automatically in order to savebattery. This function may be overwritten in the HEDapp 19. HEDphone 402can connect to a laptop using the audio cable while still beingconnected to a mobile phone via Bluetooth.

FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of HEDapp 19 to allow the user tocontrol super human hearing (SHH) with graphic interface 500. Superhuman hearing (SHH) is either activated by the user in HEDapp 19 usingactivation graphic 502 or is enabled directly from HEDphone 402 viaactivation button 404 shown in FIG. 13. Microphones 440 dedicated forsuper human hearing (SHH) pick up ambient sounds around the user. Asuper human hearing (SHH) module 501 in HEDapp 19 analyses and processesthe ambient sounds, essentially mapping out the soundscape around theuser.

Activation graphic provides access to for super human hearing (SHH)functions in the HEDapp 19 using an intuitive 3d graphical interfacethat represents the soundscape around them. The user will be able tocontrol the direction of the incoming sound that they want to amplify orto attenuate using control graphic 504. HEDapp 19 provides a visualsymbolic representation of the soundscape around the user in activationgraphic 502. In the absence of HEDapp 19, super human hearing (SHH) willfunction in a default mode having a front focus.

Super human hearing (SHH) module 501 of HEDapp 19 provides processedoutput to be reinserted into the user's audio stream as shown in FIG.14. The user can enjoy the benefits of super human hearing (SHH) eitherwhile listening to music or not. In one embodiment, the super humanhearing (SHH) functionality is achieved by the adjustment of parametersin super human hearing (SHH) module 501 as follows:

-   -   a. Target sound direction, for enhancement or suppression. This        will automatically trigger a configuration of microphone array        400 and processing to be used in in super human hearing (SHH)        module 501.    -   b. Music volume. Adjusts the music level independently of target        sound direction and level the in super human hearing (SHH)        module 501.    -   c. Noise reduction level as an adjustment of the noise reduction        level for affecting filter adaptation parameters. This        adjustment is independent of the inbound audio level and        dynamically adjusted automatically.    -   d. Inbound audio level for the microphone 440 when the user        wearing headphone 440 talks, the microphones 440 can be        adjusted, through the presence of a near-field voice activity        detector.

The adjustment of parameters can be made via HEDapp 19. For convenience,HEDapp 19 has some pre-sets and automatically adjusted settings.

Some examples of possible pre-sets are: Shh On/Off (speech enhancement),Bicycle, Factory, City walk, Windy, Party.

The super human hearing (SHH) function allows ambient sound fromuser-defined directions to filter into HEDphone 402 via the fittedmicrophones 440. For example, super human hearing (SHH) could allow theuser to hear other people talking to them without having to remove theHEDphone 402 or having to pause or mute the music. Users that wearHEDphone 402 while walking, cycling or doing any other type of activitythat requires some level of awareness of their immediate surroundings,will also greatly benefit from this new feature in terms of increasedsafety.

FIG. 15 is an embodiment of implementation of the super human hearing(SHH) by using a combination of beamforming, calculation of correlationand cross-correlation functions with coherency analysis of the variousinput signals, adaptive filtering to increase or attenuate target sounddirection and, perceptually motivated analysis and filtering to furthersuppress unwanted “noise” in times and frequencies where masking effectswould be less effective.

Perceptual filtering is implemented to increase intelligibility of thetarget direction by suppressing other directions when they would be moredisturbing or distracting the perception of the target only, i.e. whenmasking of the target frequencies over the “noise” frequencies is noteffective according to a psychoacoustic model. Noise estimators andthresholds are used to further separate the desired direction signalfrom disturbing signals.

A further combination of both super human hearing (SHH) and usual,time-domain noise reduction will allow the user to pass through theambient sound but also to suppress any stationary noise from a targetaudio signal such as human voice. The purpose is that, if someone istalking to the person wearing HEDphone 402 in a noisy environment, thetarget direction be privileged (or the disturbing direction attenuated)and at the same time the background noise can be cancelled out from thetarget sound. This makes of the HEDphone 402 a tool to communicate innoisy environments, where it would be clearer to communicate with theheadphones than without them.

Enhancement of the target audio source (human voice) is intended to aidpeople with hearing impairment, to improve communication in noisyenvironments beyond the limitations of human perceptions or, simply, toallow communication or raise awareness without removing the Headphonesand hear even better than without them.

Input 600 from microphones 400, shown in FIG. 14, can be received atwindowing and Fast Fourier Transform modules 602 Output 604 from FastFourier Transform modules 602 can be received in directional filteringmodule 606 and correlation module 608. Adaptive gain filter 610 receivesoutput 612 from directional filtering module 606 and output 614 fromcorrelation module 608. Perceptual processing module 615 receives output613 from adaptive gain filter 610 and can provide functionality forsuppressing other directions when they would be more disturbing ordistracting the perception of the target only. Overlap and Inverse FastFourier Transform 618 receives output 616 from perceptual processingmodule 615 to generate output 620.

The implementation of super human hearing (SHH) with the combination ofbeamforming and correlation analysis in a non-linear microphone arrayimproves effectiveness of adaptive noise filtering. The combination ofdirective adaptive filtering and correlation analysis with perceptuallymotivated processing to further reduce spatial and temporal noisesignals due to the peculiarity of the masking effects of the humanauditory perception. Speech and ambient sound enhancement is providedwith control of the direction of the target sound or control of thedirection of the attenuated sound. A controllable mixing level betweenthe ambient spatial sound and music playback. The Automatic gain controlprovides balance of the user own voice level with ambient spatial sound.

FIGS. 16A-B are schematic diagrams of head presence sensor system 700which can be used with HEDphones 12 and 402 to detects when the usertakes the HEDphone off their head. Sensor 700 can provide a sensingsignal to HEDphone 12, HEDphone 402 or HEDapp 19. Upon receipt of thesensing signal HEDphone 12, HEDphone 402 or HEDapp 19 can pause theaudio automatically. Upon receipt of the sensing signal HEDphone 12,HEDphone 402 or HEDapp 19 can put respective HEDphone 12 or HEDphone 402I a Sleep Mode when the absence of a head is detected. Sensor system 700can include sensor 702 in each ear cup 704. Sensor 702 can be proximityand ambient light sensors such as manufactured by Osram as SF776. Sensor702 contains an infrared LED (IR-LED) and two detectors and performs twodifferent functions. Sensor 702 registers the ambient brightness andemits infrared light that is reflected by approaching objects, such asyour head. Sensor 702 can measure the distance from ear cup 704 to thehead and to measure available light within ear cup 704, by combiningthese two values in software of HEDapp 19. HEDapp 19 can enable ordisable the audio, such as music, and other functions such as turningthe status LED off while HEDphone 12, or 402 is on the head and statusLED 706 is not visible to the user.

HEDapp 19 is an iOS or Android compatible application that can bedownloaded such as for free from either the App Store or Google Play.HEDapp 19 provides the user with additional features and access tosettings on the HEDphone 12. HEDapp 19 is also a powerful communicationsand social networking platform, where users can go beyond justconnecting their HEDphones 12 to others, they are able to share theirmusic tastes and discoveries, message and communicate with each other.

HEDapp 19 can provide a representation of this HEDMesh 14 with all theuser's name and avatars already in HEDMesh 14, describing who is thehost and who are the guests, the number of users in the current HEDMesh14 and the name of this HEDMesh 14. When HEDMesh 14 is created or a newHeadphone joins the group, the representation of the Mesh in HEDapp 19will be updated with the new user/player's name. If enabled, usinglocation services on mobile device 18, users can also see otherHeadphones 12, 402 in the vicinity that are not already in HEDMesh 14and create HEDMesh without the use of NFC.

In HEDapp 19, a HEDMesh 19 can also have Remote Guests. A Remote Guestconnects to a HEDMesh 19 via Internet 800 from remote location 802 asshown in FIG. 17. A Virtual HEDMesh 814 may also be created that containonly Remote Guests.

Every HEDMesh 14 and Virtual HEDMesh 814 configuration can be saved byeach user in the respective HEDMesh 14 and Virtual HEDMesh 814, and allits guests will be able to recreate this HEDMesh 14 or Virtual HEDMesh814 with the same Guests and same Host when they are within WI-FI rangewithout using the NFC protocol. The Host can block or expel a Guest froma HEDMesh 14 at any time.

Within the HEDapp 19, a user is able to create a Private HEDMesh 14where pre-approved members may join. A Private HEDMesh 14 may be savedfor later use and all subscribed members should be able to connectautomatically when they are next in proximity. At the same time, theHost of the Private HEDMesh may block and expel a Headphone user at anytime, whether in range or not.

More than one HEDMesh 14 may coexist in the same area.

HEDapp 19 will allow the user to change, store and recall parameters ofthe supper human hearing SHH feature described above. Using a 3Dgraphical interface, the user will be able to adjust the volume anddirection of incoming sound. The user will also be able to change thelevel of the incoming sound respective to the audio already playing inthe HEDphone 12 or 402.

Example screen shots of 3D graphical interface are shown in FIGS.18A-18R. FIG. 18A is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of auser tutorial. FIG. 18B is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500for a sign in with Facebook. The users are able to sign in with theirsocial media account or create a new account. FIG. 18C is a screen shotof 3D graphical interface 500 of a new registration. Users can create anew account.

FIG. 18D is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of a login toSpotify or other services.

A user can login to different streaming music services to import theirlibraries. FIG. 18E is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of amain menu.

From the main menu the user can select function or page. FIG. 18F is ascreen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of a Dashboard and controlcenter. This is the default running screen where the user has control tothe main features: SHH, Mesh, EQ, Audio effects, music library and ANC.FIG. 18G is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of using the SHHinterface, the user can modify the direction and level of incoming soundby moving their finger in the 3D graphical interface 500.

FIG. 18H is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of HEDMesh 14.

User can enable/disable HEDMesh 14, see who is in HEDMesh 14 and who themaster is.

FIG. 18I is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of a MusicPlayer: Users can control their music with the integrated player withouthaving to come out of the app.

FIG. 18j is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of a Musiclibrary:

User can import their music libraries and playlists from other serviceswithin the app.

FIG. 18K is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of MeshMessaging:

Users can chat to other members on the Mesh, rate songs, etc.

FIG. 18L is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of Equaliser:

User can change frequency and adjust the level for each frequency.Custom presets and be created and stored. There are also standardpresets included.

FIG. 18M is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of Room effects:

A number of audio effects are available in the App.

FIG. 18N is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of an example ofa room effect pre-set.

FIG. 18O is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of an example ofa room effect pre-set.

FIG. 18P is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of settings. Auser can change settings such as touch pad function swapping (left toright), enable/disable the presence sensors, power saving, send feedbackand restore factory settings.

FIG. 18Q is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 Power saving:

The Headphone detects when there is complete silence and the user canselect the time after which, the Headphone will go to sleep mode.

FIG. 18R is a screen shot of 3D graphical interface 500 of About toprovide product information such as model number, serial number,firmware, terms and conditions, etc.

HEDphone 12 can be formed of foam on the inner part that extends acrossthe entire length of the from ear to ear, that gives the Headphone acomfortable snug fit.

Ear cup 704 is elongated, shaped like the human ear rather than thestandard round shape. The shape, together with the more solid chassis,creates a closer fit to the head. For extra comfort, injection mouldedmemory foam is used for the full length inner cushion providing a goodfit, making this design more comfortable than current headphones.

Foam piece 710 can be formed as a single continuous piece and is alsocustomizable and can be replaced giving the user a wide choice offabrics, colors and foam densities.

In one embodiment shown in FIGS. 19A-19C, headband 710 includes foampiece 710 and is formed in one single chassis 715 from left ear cup 7021to right ear cup 702 r with no mechanical hinges or sizing adjustmentsas shown in FIG. 19B. Chassis 715 houses all electronic components andis then covered by the outer casing 716 as shown in FIG. 19C. Outercasing 716 can be made in one piece. Chassis 715 is rigid in rigid areas720, such as near drivers, PCBs and batteries, and allows more flexingin flexible areas 722 of headband 710 where needed.

Foam carrier 725 snaps onto chassis 715 as shown in FIG. 19C. Foamcarrier 725 can be made of one moulded piece.

HEDphone 402 can be formed by 3 completely detachable parts. The batteryside, the electronics' side and the headband. The headband can be boughtseparately to the correct size. S, M, L, XL as shown in FIGS. 20A-20C.The HEDphone is fitted with 3 Lithium Ion batteries of 680 mAh each,totalling 2040 mAh, providing 15 hours of Bluetooth use with music and 8hours of Mesh use. The batteries cannot be replaced by the user and canbe fully recharged by using a micro USB cable in 3 hours. HEDphone 12does not fold, making it stronger, more solid and less likely to break.It also allows for more room inside to fit electronic components andbigger batteries.

FIG. 21 illustrates an embodiment of HEDphone 12 including rechargeablebatteries housed in headband 710. A plurality of batteries 750 arehoused in headband 710. In one embodiment, three rechargeableLithium-Ion batteries are hosted in headband 710.

In an embodiment of the present invention, outer casing 716 is formed ofa single piece of injection-molded foam upholstered with fabric 760 asshown in FIG. 22A. Foam 770 can be provided on inner surface 717 ofouter casing 716. Foam 770 provides additional cushioning during sportactivities. Alternatively, fur material 780 can be provided on innersurface 717 of outer casing 716 as shown in FIGS. 22B-22C. A variety ofdensities, thicknesses, ear sizes, fabrics and colors, giving the user alarge degree of personalization and customization for their ear size andpersonal style to outer casing 716.

In one embodiment, functions of HEDphone 402 can be reversed by softwareand using HEDapp 19 for left handed users that prefer the most commonlyused functions on the left side as shown in FIG. 23. The defaultfunction of the touch pads is to have the play/pause music and phonecall actions on the right touch pad and the SHH and Talk mode on theleft.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of cover 800. Cover 800 can be attachedto HEDphone 12 to provide the ability to attach custom accessory coversto protect the outer surface of the headphone while allowing the useryet another way to express their individuality.

The HEDapp is a user interface application downloadable to any mobiledevice which will allow the HEDphone 12 a-12 n user to control andmonitor all its HEDphone's features. The HEDapp can be compatible withmobile operating systems such as for example IOS and Android. The HEDappcan have the functionality shown in Table 2.

Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in connectionwith a special purpose or general purpose processor device that includeboth hardware and/or software components, or special purpose or generalpurpose computers that are adapted to have processing capabilities.

Embodiments may also include physical computer-readable media and/orintangible computer-readable media for carrying or havingcomputer-executable instructions, data structures, and/or data signalsstored thereon. Such physical computer-readable media and/or intangiblecomputer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, andnot limitation, such physical computer-readable media can include RAM,ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storageor other magnetic storage devices, other semiconductor storage media, orany other physical medium which can be used to store desired data in theform of computer-executable instructions, data structures and/or datasignals, and which can be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computer. Within a general purpose or special purpose computer,intangible computer-readable media can include electromagnetic means forconveying a data signal from one part of the computer to another, suchas through circuitry residing in the computer.

When information is transferred or provided over a network or anothercommunications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combinationof hardwired or wireless) to a computer, hardwired devices for sendingand receiving computer-executable instructions, data structures, and/ordata signals (e.g., wires, cables, optical fibers, electronic circuitry,chemical, and the like) should properly be viewed as physicalcomputer-readable mediums while wireless carriers or wireless mediumsfor sending and/or receiving computer-executable instructions, datastructures, and/or data signals (e.g., radio communications, satellitecommunications, infrared communications, and the like) should properlybe viewed as intangible computer-readable mediums. Combinations of theabove should also be included within the scope of computer-readablemedia.

Computer-executable instructions include, for example, instructions,data, and/or data signals which cause a general purpose computer,special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device toperform a certain function or group of functions. Although not required,aspects of the invention have been described herein in the generalcontext of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules,being executed by computers, in network environments and/or non-networkenvironments. Generally, program modules include routines, programs,objects, components, and content structures that perform particulartasks or implement particular abstract content types.Computer-executable instructions, associated content structures, andprogram modules represent examples of program code for executing aspectsof the methods disclosed herein.

Embodiments may also include computer program products for use in thesystems of the present invention, the computer program product having aphysical computer-readable medium having computer readable program codestored thereon, the computer readable program code comprising computerexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause thesystem to perform the methods of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a headphone and headphone cover inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 26 is a rear view of the headphone and headphone cover of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a front view of the headphone and headphone cover of FIG. 25.

FIG. 28 is a left side view of the headphone and headphone cover of FIG.25.

FIG. 29 is a right side view of the headphone and headphone cover ofFIG. 25.

FIG. 30 is a bottom view of the headphone and headphone cover of FIG.25.

FIG. 31 is a top view of the headphone and headphone cover of FIG. 25.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of a headphone cover in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 33 is a rear view of the headphone cover of FIG. 32. The headphonecover includes a set of clips 3302 that can be used to couple theheadphone cover to a headphone, e.g., the headphone of FIG. 25.

FIG. 34 is a front view of the headphone cover of FIG. 32.

FIG. 35 is a left side view of the headphone cover of FIG. 32.

FIG. 36 is a right side view of the headphone cover of FIG. 32.

FIG. 37 is a bottom view of the headphone cover of FIG. 32.

FIG. 38 is a top view of the headphone cover of FIG. 32.

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a headphonecover with a different color.

FIG. 40 a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a headphonecover with a different color.

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a headphonecover with a different color.

FIG. 42 a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a headphonecover with a different color and surface pattern.

FIG. 43. is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a headphonecover with a different color and surface pattern. The headphone coverincludes a ridge that can be used to couple the headphone cover to theheadphone, e.g., the headphone of FIG. 25.

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a headphonecover with a different color and surface pattern.

FIG. 45 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a flexibleheadphone cover in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Theflexible headphone cover of FIG. 45 may be more flexible than the morerigid headphone cover shown in FIGS. 32-44.

FIG. 46 is a right side view of the flexible headphone cover of FIG. 45.

FIG. 47 is a left side view of the flexible headphone cover of FIG. 45.

FIG. 48 is a rear view of the flexible headphone cover of FIG. 45.

FIG. 49 is a front view of the flexible headphone cover of FIG. 45.

FIG. 50 is a bottom view of the flexible headphone cover of FIG. 45

FIG. 51 is a top view of the flexible headphone cover of FIG. 45.

FIG. 52 is a top and side view of the flexible headphone cover of FIG.45.

FIG. 53 is a bottom and side view of the flexible headphone cover ofFIG. 45.

FIG. 54 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theheadphone and headphone cover with a different cover color.

FIG. 55 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theheadphone and headphone cover with a different cover color.

FIG. 56 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theheadphone and headphone cover with a different cover color.

FIG. 57 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theheadphone and headphone cover with a different cover color.

It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments areillustrative of only a few of the many possible specific embodiments,which can represent applications of the principles of the invention.Numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised inaccordance with these principles by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A headphone system, comprising: a headsetincluding two ear cups configured to output audio and including aheadband coupled between the two ear cups, the headset including anouter face having an outer face shape defining an outer face periphery,the outer face including first and second outer face portions over thetwo ear cups and a third outer face portion over the headband; and aremovable headphone cover including a headphone cover shape defining aheadphone cover periphery, the headphone cover periphery beingsubstantially the same as the outer face periphery, the headphone coverincluding a clipping mechanism positioned substantially at the headphonecover periphery, the clipping mechanism being configured to clip to theheadset at the outer face periphery to substantially cover the outerface and to enable the headphone cover to be removably attached to theheadset.
 2. The headphone system of claim 1, wherein the clippingmechanism includes a set of clips around the headphone cover periphery.3. The headphone system of claim 2, wherein the set of clips around theperiphery are spaced apart substantially equally.
 4. The headphonesystem of claim 1, wherein the clipping mechanism includes a ridgearound the headphone cover periphery.
 5. The headphone system of claim1, wherein the headphone cover is flexible.
 6. The headphone system ofclaim 1, wherein the headphone cover is translucent.
 7. The headphonesystem of claim 1, wherein the headphone cover has a wood grainappearance.
 8. The headphone system of claim 1, wherein the headphonecover has a brand marked thereon.
 9. A method, comprising: providing aheadset including two ear cups configured to output audio and includinga headband coupled between the two ear cups, the headset including anouter face having an outer face shape defining an outer face periphery,the outer face including first and second outer face portions over thetwo ear cups a third outer face portion over the headband; providing aremovable headphone cover including a headphone cover shape defining aheadphone cover periphery, the headphone cover periphery beingsubstantially the same as the outer face periphery, the headphone coverincluding a clipping mechanism positioned substantially at the headphonecover periphery, the clipping mechanism being configured to clip to theheadset at the outer face periphery to substantially cover the outerface and to enable the headphone cover to be removably attached to theheadset; attaching the headphone cover to the headset by clipping theclipping mechanism to the outer face of the headset at the outer faceperiphery; and removing the headphone cover from the headset byunclipping the clipping mechanism from the outer face.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the clipping mechanism includes a set of clips aroundthe headphone cover periphery.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein theset of clips around the periphery are spaced apart substantiallyequally.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the clipping mechanismincludes a ridge around the headphone cover periphery.
 13. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the headphone cover is flexible.
 14. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the headphone cover is translucent.
 15. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the headphone cover has a wood grain appearance. 16.The method of claim 9, wherein the headphone cover has a brand markedthereon.